Cushioned bearing and bushing therefor



Allg- Z6, 195z w. s. PIERCE, JR

' cUsHIoNED BEARING AND RUSHING THEREFOR Filed March 27, 1948 INVENTOR m l Paw y. l BY @WQ vwmv H/J ATTORNEYS Patented Aug. 26V, 1952 oUSHIoNED BEARING AND BUsHING l q 4'mnmaron c AWinslow S. Pierce,` Jr., Dubln. H., assigner Ato Split Ballbearing Corporation, A a corporationof New Hampshire Lebanon, N H.,

Application March 27, i948, serial No; 17,422

AThis invention'relates to `bearings and more particularly concerns a resiliently cushioned shaft bearing and a resilient bushing structure therefor. l

Bearing structures for rotatably supporting line shafting andvarious other rotary shafts usually include an inner bearing part or race which is non-rotatably secured to theshaft and which rotatably engages and is supported by suitable bearing means' such as an outer journal or, in the case of anti-friction bearings, -a series of balls or other anti-fr-iction members borne in an outer race. lTo simplify the application of such bearing`s` to' long line shafts orother shafts in installations where the. shaft endsi are not access'ible..it has been proposed to form the `inner race in: two'halves orparts and to clamp these parts about the shaft at the `desired point. Since the material employed in forming bearing races is tempered steel, the parts of the race cannot bevdeformed to any appreciable extent by-` the clampinglmeans, and accordingly a givenl size of race can be clamped to one size shaft only. Furthermore, shaft diameters vary slightly due to inaccuracies in machining and to wear, and if a tight and continuous lit between the race and shaft surfaces is to be obtained, a separate bearing race must be constructed for each installation. Also, once the bearing race is clamped to the shaft it cannot be subsequently tightened to compensate for shaft wear.

To overcome the above noted diiilculties, it is proposed in accordance with the present invention to provide an improved split bearing construction incorporating a split elastically resilient bushing interposed between the inner bearing race and the shaft. The invention also includes an improved form of resilient bushing for use with a split bearing of the type described.

In describing the invention in detail. reference will be made to the accompanying drawing in which an embodiment thereof is illustrated. In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a transverse cross sectional view of a bearing structure embodying the invention taken along the line I-I of Fig. 2;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line 3 claims. (ci. 30s-484) 2-2 of Fig. 1 and viewed in the direction of structure incorporatingthe invention includes an inner race 6r having `a groove 1 therein for the reception of anti-friction Aballs which` may be carriedby a ball cage; 9. lAn outer` race I0 has an internal groove Il for the reception of, the

bearing balls as shown. The outer racalumay 'Y ball cageS is also split along the line` 26 So that it can be assembled about an intermediatepointf `Within the inner` raceV 6" and compressed `hef tween its inner surfaceand theisurface of the shaft 25 Vis a resilient bushingC` formedof two substantially semi-cylindrical parts, l] a'n`d|`8. These bushing parts are formed` of elastically` resilient compressed material,` and preferably of natural or artificial rubber..` Radiallyextending beads I9 and 20 are formed `at the oppositeends of the bushing parts and extend radially outward to overlap the ends of the inner race 6 to hold the bushing parts in proper alignment with the inner race against relative movement longitudinally of the shaft.

In order to permit resilient flow of the rubber or like material forming the bushing parts Il and I8, a plurality of openings or voids are formed therein. As shown in Fig. 3, these openings may take the form of holes 2| extending substantially radially through the cylindrical walls of the bushing parts. In a modified construction shown in Fig. 4, the openings take the form of depressions or dimples 22 formed in the inner and outer cylindrical surfaces of the bushing parts and extending only part way through the bushing part walls. Either type of opening permits resilient flow of the resiliently compressed bushing material and avoids the relatively hard and unyielding properties of rubber or like materials when completely or substantially completely confined against flow. The openings 2| or 22 are preferably substantially uniformly distributed in the bushing halves as shown.

The bushing parts l1 and I8 are each somewhat shorter than in circumferential extent, and when assembled about the shaft 25 their adjacent ends are spaced apart and form open grooves 23 and 24 therebetween. The halves of the inner bearing race 6 are so assembled vabout the bushing parts that the split lines l2 extend along these open grooves 23 and 24. and in this way the pinching of the bushing material between the inner race halves during assembly is avoided.

To facilitate the assembly of the improved bearing, the bushing parts II and I8 may be respectively secured to the inner surfaces of the two halves of the inner bearing race 6 by means of cement or by vulcanizing the rubber bushing parts directly toffthe bearinghalfv surfaces, as indlcatedat-l6. The bushing parts are thus secured in the positions shown in Fig. 1 to provide the open grooves 23 and 24 at the positions eX t plained above. n

My improved cushioned bearing .structure prof vides a firm and continuous clamping connection between the inner split race; S and the shaft'2-5" despite minor differences indiameter between- Due to the bushing., Wear ofi the shaft versef'sl-'locksy and` soA minimizes or eliminatesY bearing breakage. Due Ytoits split construction, thebushingi may bev readily assembled with. the bearingaboutthe shaft when the shaft, ends are not. accessible Y f Yl?. In a device-,of tliewcharact'er described, in combination withV a shaft'ra two-part split bearing race surroundingIthe shaft and' a split'bushing compressedfbetween the race and the shaftv comprising two substantially semicylndrical parts: of' elastically resilient' material having av pluralitypff openings' therein uniformly' distributedjzhroughout such parts to permit the resilient il'owe'off` Sucht material; the adjacent ends of said bushingy partsbeing spaced apart' 'circumferenti`a1lyof the-shaft-to form ggrooves therebetween in? radial alignment with Vthe lines lof division between`-the bearing` racepfarts.

A2.41211I a device of thecharacterfdescribed, in combinatiorriwithia shaft, a two-part splitv bearingjraoesurrounding the shaft and asplit bushing compressed between the race and the shaft comprising two substantially semi-cylindrical parts of rubber each having a plurality of substantially uniformly distributed openings therein to permit resilient flow of the rubber under compression, and integral end flanges on said bushing parts extending radially outwardin overlapping relation with the ends of saidv bearing race, the adjacent ends of said bushing parts being spaced apart circumferentially of the shaft to form grooves in radial alignment with the lines of division between the bearing race parts.

ingv isv clamped between the bearing race. and` a".

shaft.. Y l

WIN SLOW S. PIERCE?, JR;

V .REFERENCES- errED 'y The following references are of recordintheA ieof this patent: v

' YUNITED-STATES PATENTS, 

